Digital Quantum Battery Could Boost Energy Density Tenfold

This figure shows the energy density and the power density of nano vacuum tubes in comparison to other energy storage devices. Credit: H?bler and Osuagwu.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Physicists theorize that quantum phenomena could provide a major boost to batteries, with the potential to increase energy density up to 10 times that of lithium ion batteries. According to a new proposal, billions of nanoscale capacitors could take advantage of quantum effects to overcome electric arcing, an electrical breakdown phenomenon which limits the amount of charge that conventional capacitors can store.

In their study, Alfred Hubler and Onyeama Osuagwu, both of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have investigated energy storage capacity in arrays of nano vacuum tubes, which contain little or no gas. When the tubes' gap size - or the distance between electrodes - is about 10 nanometers wide, electric arcing is suppressed, preventing energy loss. Further, each tube can be addressed individually, making the technology digital and offering the possibility for data storage in conjunction with energy storage.

The physicists calculated that the large electric field exhibited under these conditions could lead to an energy density anywhere between two and 10 times greater than that of today's best battery technologies. The scientists also estimated that the power density (i.e., the charge-discharge rates) could be orders of magnitude greater than that of today's batteries. In addition, the nature of the charging and discharging avoids the leakage faced by conventional batteries, so that the nano vacuum batteries waste very little energy and have a virtually unlimited lifetime.

The scientists say that it may be possible to build a prototype of the battery in the next year. Since the energy density is independent from the materials used, the nano vacuum tubes could be built from inexpensive, non-toxic materials. The nano vacuum tubes could also be fabricated using existing photolithographic techniques, and could be easily combined with integrated circuits.

As for the possibility of data storage, the physicists explain that each nano vacuum tube can have two gates, an energy gate and an information gate. Each nano vacuum tube can also be charged and discharged individually, in any arbitrary order. By inserting a MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) in the wall of a nano vacuum tube, the state of the tube can be determined without charging or discharging it.

"For example, to store the number 22, one would convert it to binary notation 22 = 10110," the scientists wrote in their paper. "Then use the energy gates to charge the first, third and fourth tube and leave the second and fifth tube uncharged. When the energy gate holds a charge, it induces an electric field in the MOSFET that partially cancels the electric field from the electrodes of the information gate, which modifies the threshold voltage of the MOSFET. During read-out, a voltage slightly above the regular threshold voltages is applied to the information gate, and the MOSFET channel will become conducting or remain insulating, depending on the voltage threshold of the MOSFET, which depends on the charge on the energy gate. The current flow through the MOSFET channel is measured and provides a binary code, reproducing the stored data."

As Hubler explained in a recent article in MIT's Technology Review, the digital quantum battery concept can be viewed in different ways as a variation of several technologies.

"If you look at it from a digital electronics perspective, it's just a flash drive," Hubler said. "If you look at it from an electrical engineering perspective, you would say these are miniaturized vacuum tubes like in plasma TVs. If you talk to a physicist, this is a network of capacitors."

Hubler has applied for DARPA funding to develop a prototype of the digital quantum battery, and find out what will actually happen when loading the nano vacuum tubes with large amounts of energy.

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I have deep and lasting concerns that the mil-ind complex is trolling for these technologies and will not hesitate to snap up any real energy storage advance in the name of more effective killing systems.

It may be tempting to take the poisoned funds from Darpa, but that's a deal with Mephistopheles. Darpa's mandate isn't to secure Americans, it is to secure the government that happens to "rule" it.

I strongly recommend any individual or group working on power cell technology to openly describe their work and not seek riches by hoping to sell to the merchants of death - they will use the technology against human life and our common cause of peace and liberty.

The technology described here is called a capacitor.In this invention, the capacitors are small, andindividually addressable. Vacuum is used as the dielectric.

The gap of 10 nanometers is chosen to keep well awayfrom the tunnelling problems that would certainly occur for gaps in the 1 nanometer range.

You can do the math yourself. You would needa two plates, each of an area of 1130 square meters,to provide a farad of capacitance at a separation of10 nanometers.

After that, energy storage will be determined by thevoltage that you can place on the plates withoutarcing. The better the vacuum, the more energy you can store. A good vacuum will break down at about 2000000 volts per inch, so 10 nanometers will limityou to about 3/4 of a volt before it arcs.

After they solve the problem of fractal or nano construction,they will have to solve the problem of the hardvacuum they will need.

It seems that physicists are surrounding the solution. I hope that they are. I'd much rather the break through was in the capacitor area with nearly unlimited life rather than the battery side with material erosion.

Hmm... I've been reading of hopeful theories on how this next one will finally increase energy storage 10 or 100 fold, for so long now, my first initial thoughts are now of skepticism. They used to bring hope, but I've now come to realize its all about marketing one's claims in order to captivate an audience in government to send them grant money. Yes, one day some theory will bear significant and reproducible results, but most of these stories are nothing more than charlatans seeking to line their pockets with taxpayer dollars. Many exaggerate beyond belief and even cook up phony results without any risk of prosecution for fraud.

Darpa's mandate isn't to secure Americans, it is to secure the government that happens to "rule" it

Youve got to define the nature of what DARPA is there to protect. The progress of this civilization has been ever-denser, ever more organized, ever more capable. This 'govt' knows it stands on the shoulders of this vast body of productive, participating people. Those who would disrupt this Stability and Progress need to be fought against because without it the human race, under whatever form of govt, has no future. Defense tech usually needs a large consumer base with a healthy thruput to both proof it's tech and bring the cost per unit within reach. It needs Good Life in order to resist the Bad Life which would inevitably extinct us.

Look forward to the Interim Goal of a defensible civilization which has spread itself about the inner system and is no longer the helpless Target that it is now. These are unique times and call for unique measures. After all, we may be the only sentient species which will ever exist. That alone is worth absolutely anything to protect and defend, and there is no god which will do what we must do for ourselves. @duuudeYou sound depressed. Holidays got you down? Have a little patience, things will happen quicker than we can imagine. Put a little gratitude in your attitude. Yeah I'm a fortune cookie.